Seeing

 Day's Saints

Julian the Hermit
Peter of Alcantara, Franciscan

Gospel Lk 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

+

When will you realize the truth
behind what you see?

Jesus is impartial in judgement; if you sinned, you are a sinner and He will know what you did; if you are fortunate enough to be forgiven and to come to know Him, your time in paradise will have begun in time, but with Jesus, will end in eternity.

Let penance come easy to you, and if some suffering befalls you, be glad, and rejoice that day, for you will have participated  in Him and in union with Him, the highest reward there is.

Look not upon the world and its deeds; look upon the face of the Lord, crowned in thorns, beaten and marred, and recognize your bodily participation in His passion and resurrection in the pains of your body, which for you and others, who come to know you, will regard as salvation.

Of those who visit destruction and catastrophe on others as a form of amusement, know that that is behavior that abides in hell, and that the children of God are innocent and fragile, and so He guards you jealously in His loving affection.

Realize the power He has in embracing the passion and the cross, so that doing what He promised, we might come to share in His resurrection, and the new world promised us ages ago. Realize there is no power greater or stronger than His. Seek your refuge and fidelity in His power, and do not seek refuge in things that are not stronger than Him. Our strength rises from His fidelity to the Father, and so does ours, since we seek to be established in Him, and not in the things of the world.

Realize, that sin caters to ourselves and neglects God in whose vitality we strive to share. Therefore, cast aside sin, and all its tenacious allurements, casting them into a hole to be buried, for you have been chosen for a share in His resurrection, and you must be seen rising and not falling by the weak of the world who need His strength so much.

Seek no strength in human beings, for they turn on you and like rabid animals, tear up what God has built. The world of Jesus, however, is not like a sand castle that the waves of the tide and wind of storms wash away.

It is work to remain with Jesus, but what else is worth the time of day? The fruits of such labor are enjoyed by the children of God forever, and they may sleep in peace that is never broken.

Out of His brokenness, the crucifixion that so many fear, and His subjection to those in the world's power. What is power when you gaze on the universe and can plainly see, we are powerless? So the innocent and fragile remain loving beings whom God loves infinitely, and this is the testimony that glorifies Him as the Son of God. What testimony can evil give except that it does not know and is powerless when all is revealed. One day everything will be revealed, and our allegiance will belong to God and out of it will come eternal life.

There is one God, and He stands plainly un-touched and defended by His holiness, He need fear nothing. Evil must fear everything, and even those that might prosper evil will suffer at the hands of the terror that gnaws at evil. Jesus stands in calm and peace, surrounded by true light which renders all things under His power. How many strutting mad dictators have fallen, and how many empires have swept in like an evil tide, able to only carry off a few. Jesus conquers, and carries away all He wishes to fill with happiness and love.

Come Lord Jesus, so that I may give my heart and soul to you. You are my strength, and I wish to be only in your power, and none other. Even if wounds and broken bones assail me and I am tripped and flung to the earth, I still am His, belong to Him, and serve Him alone who is my existence.

Salvation has sanctified the children of God to enable them to love Jesus and serve God even in the midst of death. God has redeemed us and no other. Therefore honor His Name and praise Him.

Seeing

 Day's Saints

Julian the Hermit
Peter of Alcantara, Franciscan

Gospel Lk 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, 'Peace to this household.'
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

+

When will you realize the truth
behind what you see?

Jesus is impartial in judgement; if you sinned, you are a sinner and He will know what you did; if you are fortunate enough to be forgiven and to come to know Him, your time in paradise will have begun in time, but with Jesus, will end in eternity.

Let penance come easy to you, and if some suffering befalls you, be glad, and rejoice that day, for you will have participated  in Him and in union with Him, the highest reward there is.

Look not upon the world and its deeds; look upon the face of the Lord, crowned in thorns, beaten and marred, and recognize your bodily participation in His passion and resurrection in the pains of your body, which for you and others, who come to know you, will regard as salvation.

Of those who visit destruction and catastrophe on others as a form of amusement, know that that is behavior that abides in hell, and that the children of God are innocent and fragile, and so He guards you jealously in His loving affection.

Realize the power He has in embracing the passion and the cross, so that doing what He promised, we might come to share in His resurrection, and the new world promised us ages ago. Realize there is no power greater or stronger than His. Seek your refuge and fidelity in His power, and do not seek refuge in things that are not stronger than Him. Our strength rises from His fidelity to the Father, and so does ours, since we seek to be established in Him, and not in the things of the world.

Realize, that sin caters to ourselves and neglects God in whose vitality we strive to share. Therefore, cast aside sin, and all its tenacious allurements, casting them into a hole to be buried, for you have been chosen for a share in His resurrection, and you must be seen rising and not falling by the weak of the world who need His strength so much.

Seek no strength in human beings, for they turn on you and like rabid animals, tear up what God has built. The world of Jesus, however, is not like a sand castle that the waves of the tide and wind of storms wash away.

It is work to remain with Jesus, but what else is worth the time of day? The fruits of such labor are enjoyed by the children of God forever, and they may sleep in peace that is never broken.

Out of His brokenness, the crucifixion that so many fear, and His subjection to those in the world's power. What is power when you gaze on the universe and can plainly see, we are powerless? So the innocent and fragile remain loving beings whom God loves infinitely, and this is the testimony that glorifies Him as the Son of God. What testimony can evil give except that it does not know and is powerless when all is revealed. One day everything will be revealed, and our allegiance will belong to God and out of it will come eternal life.

There is one God, and He stands plainly un-touched and defended by His holiness, He need fear nothing. Evil must fear everything, and even those that might prosper evil will suffer at the hands of the terror that gnaws at evil. Jesus stands in calm and peace, surrounded by true light which renders all things under His power. How many strutting mad dictators have fallen, and how many empires have swept in like an evil tide, able to only carry off a few. Jesus conquers, and carries away all He wishes to fill with happiness and love.

Come Lord Jesus, so that I may give my heart and soul to you. You are my strength, and I wish to be only in your power, and none other. Even if wounds and broken bones assail me and I am tripped and flung to the earth, I still am His, belong to Him, and serve Him alone who is my existence.

Salvation has sanctified the children of God to enable them to love Jesus and serve God even in the midst of death. God has redeemed us and no other. Therefore honor His Name and praise Him.

Of Wedding Feasts

Day's Saints

Teresa of Avila, Carmelite Doctor of the Church
Odilo, Benedictine

Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants

to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast."'

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests,

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

Many are invited, but few are chosen."

+

The heavens take on the hues of the Lord
Our God and by the power of His light
we are saved.

Let us implore the Lord for the grace to be prepared to come ready for the wedding feast. He is our life, and we have no choice but the heaven of God, or the hell of our persecutors. They will be annihilated and all those who love them, with them.

Those who love the Lord will be treated as His children and they will be safe in Him; indeed more than safe but held in love forever enwrapped in His affection.

If He asks you a penance, do not begrudge Him a little of it for the sake of saving His children. The enemy acts as though there can be no other reality, but they deceive themselves, because the reality of Jesus IS reality, and woe betide those who despise the Lord or His children, for He is in no mood to suffer their contempt. The day of suffering is upon us in which we taste the chalice He drank from, which alone suffices for every spiritual need. Therefore, let us weep for our sins and ask His forgiveness, for we have sinned. 

Of Wedding Feasts

Day's Saints

Teresa of Avila, Carmelite Doctor of the Church
Odilo, Benedictine

Is 25:6-10a
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples
a feast of rich food and choice wines,
juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from every face;
the reproach of his people he will remove
from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said:
"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!
This is the LORD for whom we looked;
let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"
For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain.

Gospel Mt 22:1-14

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king

who gave a wedding feast for his son.

He dispatched his servants

to summon the invited guests to the feast,

but they refused to come.

A second time he sent other servants, saying,

'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,

my calves and fattened cattle are killed,

and everything is ready; come to the feast."'

Some ignored the invitation and went away,

one to his farm, another to his business.

The rest laid hold of his servants,

mistreated them, and killed them.

The king was enraged and sent his troops,

destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.

Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,

but those who were invited were not worthy to come.

Go out, therefore, into the main roads

and invite to the feast whomever you find.'

The servants went out into the streets

and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,

and the hall was filled with guests.

But when the king came in to meet the guests,

he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.

The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

But he was reduced to silence.

Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,

and cast him into the darkness outside,

where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'

Many are invited, but few are chosen."

+

The heavens take on the hues of the Lord
Our God and by the power of His light
we are saved.

Let us implore the Lord for the grace to be prepared to come ready for the wedding feast. He is our life, and we have no choice but the heaven of God, or the hell of our persecutors. They will be annihilated and all those who love them, with them.

Those who love the Lord will be treated as His children and they will be safe in Him; indeed more than safe but held in love forever enwrapped in His affection.

If He asks you a penance, do not begrudge Him a little of it for the sake of saving His children. The enemy acts as though there can be no other reality, but they deceive themselves, because the reality of Jesus IS reality, and woe betide those who despise the Lord or His children, for He is in no mood to suffer their contempt. The day of suffering is upon us in which we taste the chalice He drank from, which alone suffices for every spiritual need. Therefore, let us weep for our sins and ask His forgiveness, for we have sinned. 

Slices

A trip into downtown Seattle to go to a VA hospital appointment is always exhausting. It takes an hour to get downtown and then walk to the next stop. If you go through the south entrance, you get to explore the cavernous building and get lost. I got to my appointment and I was asked if I wanted a diabetic neuropathy check and I said no; when I said that the lady wanted to know why, and I said it is unnecessary, which it is. If I had neuropathy, I assure you I'd be aware. I also said I wanted the COVID vaccination today, but NOT the flu shot; last time I got both together on the same day, I regretted it. I was really sore and the shots made me sick and miserable. There is time before the end of the month, to get the flu shot.

My provider did a diabetic neuropathy test anyway, in spite of my saying it was unnecessary. I felt the touch of the needles everywhere it touched me. Why do they not listen?

When I questioned my provider why they recently told me to cut my Metformin tablets in half, she said didn't know. Then, thinking back on why they they said I should cut the tablets in half, she said that smaller pills were unavailable. That did not explain why I get less Metformin. I started taking a full dose and things were fine; I lost weight and had better control of my appetite.

I also explained how I injured my right foot recently, and she said the back spasms were not the result of the Allopurinol. It is designed to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and prevent gout attacks, which is certainly laudable. I have had lots of experience with gout, and have no desire to go through that again. Neither do I have any desire to get Shingles again, as the first two times were more than sufficient. I got the shingles vaccine - twice. It was no more fun than the COVID or flu.

If a patient has no say-so in his or her treatment, the medical care is flawed. If I had something really serious and decided against an arduous treatment course. that should be sufficient. Good intentions are insufficient; you have to deliver on the promise. 

I realized what date it was a little while ago; Friday the 13th !. My reaction was to ask, "Can I just go back to bed now?". The answer was, "yes", "but it will not change the date." I will sacrifice a virgin to the new moon; that should protect me LOL.

My provider insisted on listening to my breathing and my heart, but before she did, I asked, "Can you hear me now" to her stethoscope, as I had a sweat shirt on and I thought it would be necessary to remove the sweat shirt, but no, it was not.

I got back home, by the grace of God, but boy was I tired. I ate a little dinner and crashed. So now it is 01:22 on October 13, 2023 - "O dark thirty" for some of you civilians LOL.

Did you forget that humor is a necessary part of being a hermit? It is a central part of being a HUMAN BEING, so being a hermit is doubly necessary. The Lord has a sense of humor, but it is not always appreciated, as St. Theresa of Avila remarked once. And another time, she slipped in the mud upon getting out of a coach, and she said "No wonder You have so few friends."

Sometimes I cannot fathom why things happen. Yesterday I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, and my left palm felt as if a nail had been pounded through it. Just as quickly as it started hurting, I grabbed the cup with my other hand in order not to spill the coffee, and the sensation disappeared and did not return. The connections by which we hang together are subject to deterioration and we don't hold together as tightly as we should, so nerves get pinched and aggravated. There isn't much for it as the pain is gone almost immediately. Undoubtedly, it may return again because as soon as one kind of pain appears, it disappears and is replaced by another. Some days, especially Fridays, I seem to be in a sea of pain, and then I remember the Lord on the cross and don't complain, but offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.

If it is 1 am, it must be time for a fire truck to whizz down the avenue to another housing complex, and then an aid car or ambulance passes through with its mournful siren and disappears into the night. The poor beast cries out pitifully, and I ponder on someone's misery, another soul in distress, and pray for them.

Such is a slice of my life. Nothing momentous, but things happen and you don't know why and it does no good to wonder why. If it is not you being loaded into an aid car to go to the hospital, be grateful for the mercy of God, and try to be a part of His mercy is you can.

Slices

A trip into downtown Seattle to go to a VA hospital appointment is always exhausting. It takes an hour to get downtown and then walk to the next stop. If you go through the south entrance, you get to explore the cavernous building and get lost. I got to my appointment and I was asked if I wanted a diabetic neuropathy check and I said no; when I said that the lady wanted to know why, and I said it is unnecessary, which it is. If I had neuropathy, I assure you I'd be aware. I also said I wanted the COVID vaccination today, but NOT the flu shot; last time I got both together on the same day, I regretted it. I was really sore and the shots made me sick and miserable. There is time before the end of the month, to get the flu shot.

My provider did a diabetic neuropathy test anyway, in spite of my saying it was unnecessary. I felt the touch of the needles everywhere it touched me. Why do they not listen?

When I questioned my provider why they recently told me to cut my Metformin tablets in half, she said didn't know. Then, thinking back on why they they said I should cut the tablets in half, she said that smaller pills were unavailable. That did not explain why I get less Metformin. I started taking a full dose and things were fine; I lost weight and had better control of my appetite.

I also explained how I injured my right foot recently, and she said the back spasms were not the result of the Allopurinol. It is designed to reduce uric acid levels in the blood and prevent gout attacks, which is certainly laudable. I have had lots of experience with gout, and have no desire to go through that again. Neither do I have any desire to get Shingles again, as the first two times were more than sufficient. I got the shingles vaccine - twice. It was no more fun than the COVID or flu.

If a patient has no say-so in his or her treatment, the medical care is flawed. If I had something really serious and decided against an arduous treatment course. that should be sufficient. Good intentions are insufficient; you have to deliver on the promise. 

I realized what date it was a little while ago; Friday the 13th !. My reaction was to ask, "Can I just go back to bed now?". The answer was, "yes", "but it will not change the date." I will sacrifice a virgin to the new moon; that should protect me LOL.

My provider insisted on listening to my breathing and my heart, but before she did, I asked, "Can you hear me now" to her stethoscope, as I had a sweat shirt on and I thought it would be necessary to remove the sweat shirt, but no, it was not.

I got back home, by the grace of God, but boy was I tired. I ate a little dinner and crashed. So now it is 01:22 on October 13, 2023 - "O dark thirty" for some of you civilians LOL.

Did you forget that humor is a necessary part of being a hermit? It is a central part of being a HUMAN BEING, so being a hermit is doubly necessary. The Lord has a sense of humor, but it is not always appreciated, as St. Theresa of Avila remarked once. And another time, she slipped in the mud upon getting out of a coach, and she said "No wonder You have so few friends."

Sometimes I cannot fathom why things happen. Yesterday I tried to pick up my cup of coffee, and my left palm felt as if a nail had been pounded through it. Just as quickly as it started hurting, I grabbed the cup with my other hand in order not to spill the coffee, and the sensation disappeared and did not return. The connections by which we hang together are subject to deterioration and we don't hold together as tightly as we should, so nerves get pinched and aggravated. There isn't much for it as the pain is gone almost immediately. Undoubtedly, it may return again because as soon as one kind of pain appears, it disappears and is replaced by another. Some days, especially Fridays, I seem to be in a sea of pain, and then I remember the Lord on the cross and don't complain, but offer it for the poor souls in purgatory.

If it is 1 am, it must be time for a fire truck to whizz down the avenue to another housing complex, and then an aid car or ambulance passes through with its mournful siren and disappears into the night. The poor beast cries out pitifully, and I ponder on someone's misery, another soul in distress, and pray for them.

Such is a slice of my life. Nothing momentous, but things happen and you don't know why and it does no good to wonder why. If it is not you being loaded into an aid car to go to the hospital, be grateful for the mercy of God, and try to be a part of His mercy is you can.

Waiting

 Day's Saints
Blessed Angela Truszkowska, Franciscan
Blessed Demestrius of Albania, Hermit

Gospel Lk 10:38-42
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

+

Wait on the Lord and He will give you
what you need.

The lives of so many are a montage of such contrasts. Some part of their life, they are sweet and adorable angels, and grow up somehow, to be beheaders of other people's children.

Happy the man whose children are intelligent and sweet, caring for the creatures in the world and other people, for the Lord smiles on them.

Regardless of what men do to one another, we are bound by our love of God to forgive and to love and to give both good example, and the things they need. If then, some embrace cruel violence and evil, they have made the choice of what they wish to be, but the children of God are not like them, and their love slakes the burning thirst for revenge of the evil of the world.God created them, but they became what they wanted, and will abide by their choice into eternity of sorrows.

Those whose lives were cut short are safe in God and He will not disappoint them.